Ahmad Huneidi

What have you been doing since finishing your studies? What are you doing in terms of your career?

After finishing my studies, I started working for BWB Consulting based in the Leeds office. I’m progressing well with my career and looking forward to what the future is holding for me in the Transport Planning and Engineering world.

What company are you working for, what is your role and what does it involve?

I work for BWB Consulting, an award-winning engineering and environmental consultancy, with offices in Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham and London. BWB recently became part of the giant CAF group (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles) which specialises in rolling, manufacturing and maintaining trains and light rail across the world.

My role mainly involves preparing highway and access studies, transport assessments and travel plans for proposed developments in the UK. Some projects require complex strategic transport models, travel plan coordination and extensive negotiations with highway and planning authorities, which is the most exciting part of my job.

What experiences at Leeds do you think have particularly helped with your career/will help with your future career?

Doing particular modules when I was studying definitely helped me understand how transport planning works in reality. These include transport modelling, traffic management and road safety.

Looking back, why did you choose to study your particular course and why did you choose the University of Leeds?

Coming from a Civil Engineering background, I thought transport planning and engineering was the most appropriate career path for me. I decided to specialise in transport engineering as there was a huge demand for it in the UK and still there is, with the age of innovation, technology and big data the future of transport planning couldn’t look brighter!

To be honest, I decided to study at the University of Leeds because I was already living in Leeds! Looking back now, I’m very proud to have studied and graduated from University of Leeds and ITS. I’m now always showing off to my family and friends about the 2017 University of the Year and one of the leading transport institutes in the world!

What was the best aspect of the course/the University and why? Any highlights?

It would be definitely the field trips. The highlight for me was when we went to the Peak District National Park. In terms of my studies, the employers visit week was very useful and through it, I was offered a job at BWB.

What other activities outside of your studies were you involved in?

As much the dissertation kept me busy throughout the summer, I spent some of my free time cycling around Leeds and York. I also went to the Lake District National Park with some friends and did a 10km walk and sightseeing. I also did some local volunteering, such as tree planting and laying out a new footpath in Saltaire, and joined a team to help clearing up Kirkstall Road after the December 2015 floods.

What would you say to students thinking about studying the same course at Leeds/thinking about the same career?

I would highly recommend studying in ITS. Not only they understand the challenges lying ahead in the transport planning and engineering industry, their reputation and connections across the world will help with your career progression and employability. This is thanks to their dedicated and hardworking staff and professors.

If you’ve decided to start a career in transport planning, I think you’ve made a great decision as there is demand for it in the UK and around the world with the new technologies and big data models coming forward.